Lay down the tracks

It goes without saying that for a country to be competitive and relevant in the 21st century, global and regional connectivity is a critical factor. China’s proposed One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative will be a game-changing infrastructure network that aims to boost regional connectivity, cooperation, and growth. Bangladesh has taken its own initiative in this regard -- though much more modest in scope -- and signed an agreement with Indian construction company Kalindee Rail Nirmaan to build a railway connecting Bangladesh with Assam, set to be completed in 2019. But if our track record on government-sponsored railway projects is any indication, it may take several years before we see any sign of progress on this rail link. The main rail line will be over 40km long, twice the length of Dhaka’s metro rail line 6 which has seen only 12% progress in four years. The Railway Ministry has urged the construction company to complete the project as soon as possible, but is it doing enough to make sure there is no hold-up on our side? All of our current so-called priority rail projects are behind schedule, and the costs are mounting with every passing day. Many of these projects were also contracted out to Indian companies, and when the costs rose, we had a difficult time renegotiating the funds with India. Nevertheless, it is a worthy initiative that we have undertaken and we hope for it to be completed on time. And in case of an extended delay, we know who to hold accountable.